Marlin Klein emerges from ‘jungle’ to take Michigan’s top TE spot in 2025

Stepping into Loveland's Shadow

Marlin Klein is stepping onto a stage set by Colston Loveland, the former Michigan tight end who was drafted tenth overall by the Chicago Bears in 2025. Now, Klein is tasked with carrying the mantle of success at a program known as "Tight End U."

Klein’s path to this point has been unique. He only began playing football a few years before arriving at Ann Arbor, and Loveland's injury struggles throughout 2024 gave him valuable experience in preparation for his current role. While he might have been green, Klein never doubted his ability. Tight ends coach Steve Casula pushed him to be the best, challenging him in a way Klein describes as entering “the jungle.”

“Yeah, I always thought that I belonged,” Klein said. "I knew it was going to take me a little longer than some others... So I knew there was going to be a lot of challenges for me, but that's what I put myself in, because I wanted to be the best."

Casula's grueling training regimen wasn’t about tearing Klein down; it was about building him up to meet the Michigan standard.

"It was really the most critical time of my life," Klein said. "It was never good enough, but that was really just because he tried to push me to my best… And he helped me to the standard. Which is the Michigan standard, and the Michigan standard is a championship standard."

Klein seized opportunities in 2024 when Loveland was sidelined, embodying the “stay ready so you don’t have to get ready” mentality. With that experience and Casula’s intense training behind him, Klein feels prepared to take on the No. 1 tight end role.

"I think it prepared me," he said. "Everything can be stripped away from you the same day... So I knew I was going to be prepared… Like I knew I was going to be ready when the time came."